Offer to buy eastern portion of City Park made to property owner; American Legion to move

Mayor Paul Mitchell reported to council members he has spoken to David W. Jacks and offered him $68,000.00 for his property, which makes up the eastern end of Alexander City Park. The offer is based on two independent appraisals of the property, not including the improvements made by the city. Mitchell said Jacks is considering the offer.

The city had been mowing the grass on the eastern parcel for many years. As far as anyone knew it was city property. The eastern end of the park is the location of the gazebo, water fountain, lights and other improvements.

The various construction projects were done in phases from 2015 to around 2019. After they were completed Jacks contacted Mitchell asking why the city was building on his property. Since then Mitchell, and multiple city attorneys, have been negotiating with Jacks.

American Legion will move to former Pathfinder’s building

Alexander American Legion Post 28 has been given permission by the Alexander City Council to use Building-A located in the former Pathfinder’s complex. Building-A was used by Pathfinder’s, Inc. as an office.

The organization operated homes for adults, with physical and mental health issues, in the southeast corner of the former Alexander Human Development Center (HDC). They moved out when their lease expired in August, 2022.

Voters may remember Build-A being used as a polling place when Saline County stopped using the office of the Saline County Water Works Sanitary Sewer Public Utilities Board for elections. Voting has since been moved from Building-A to the Alexander Community Center #2, which is also on the former HDC property.

Until now the American Legion Post has been using Alexander Community Center #1 (Old City Hall) located on Main Street in the Pulaski County portion of Alexander. They have been sharing the building with a church that uses it to hold services.

Mayor Mitchell said using Building-A will allow the Post to permanently display items on the walls. Council Member Harold Timmerman, who is a member of the American Legion and past Commander, said they will be erecting flag poles in front of Building-A.

Also at the December 19 council meeting:

Alexander Council approves 2023 budget

The 2023 budget, approved by the city council, estimates revenue to the General Fund at $2,899,644.00. That’s a conservative estimate compared to 2022’s final revenue total of $3,044,484.00.

For the most part, revenue for the various departments goes into the General Fund first and then is distributed to the other funds. The city’s share of the state fuel tax, however, is deposited directly into the street fund by the state. The 2023 budget estimates that amount at $238,716.00. That would bring total estimated revenue for the city in 2023 at $3,138,360.00.

Second round of ARPA bonus pay approved

At the request of Mayor Paul Mitchell, the Alexander City Council approved bonus pay for city employees who qualify under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The first time ARPA funds were used for bonus pay was December 2021.

The bonus pay will be distributed to city employees who meet the following ARPA criteria.

1) An eligible worker is anyone, “[N]ecessary to maintain the continuity of operations of essential critical infrastructures;”

2) “Including any additional sectors added by the city’s chief executive,” and

3) “An eligible worker performing eligible work which means regular in-person interaction or regular physical handling of items that were handled by others.”

ARPA criteria also specifies payments will be made to current employees only, not to exceed $1,800.00. Payments will be based on the amount of eligible hours worked at $13 an hour up to a maximum of 140 hours.

Council seat declared vacant

The Ward-1 Position-2 council seat, formerly held by Elizabeth Bland, has been declared vacant by the Alexander City Council. Mayor Mitchell told council members he has received an E-mail from Bland stating she now lives in Little Rock.

Bland did not seek re-election in the November Municipal Elections and no one submitted a petition to run for that seat. The vacancy must be made public for a minimum of 30 days.

Anyone who lives in Ward-1, and is a registered voter, may submit a resume at the Alexander Municipal Complex requesting to be considered for the appointment.

Next Meeting

Due to a holiday falling on the third Monday in January, the next meeting of the Alexander City Council is the following Monday, January 23 at 6:00 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend.

Rules to follow concerning fireworks on New Year’s Eve

If you plan to shoot fireworks in the City of Alexander to celebrate the new year there are some rules you need to know. The ordinance establishing these requirements became law in June, 2019.

The use of fireworks:

“No parent, guardian, or custodian of any child under the age of majority shall knowingly permit or consent to the possession or discharge of fireworks by any child under the age of majority without proper supervision.” The ordinance also states the, “possession or discharge of fireworks” as, “prima facie evidence of the knowing permission or consent of such parent, guardian, or custodian.” In other words you’re responsible for the actions of the child whether you know what they’re doing or not. In Arkansas the age of majority is 18 years old.

Where and When:

The ordinance limits the discharging of fireworks, “on private property of the owner, by the owner and immediate family, when discharge is in a safe and sane manner.” “Safe and sane manner,” is defined as, “actions which do not endanger life, limb, or property of those in the area of the discharge.”

Fireworks may not, “be discharged within the boundaries of or within three hundred feet (300 ft.) of any public park owned or maintained by the city.” Also, fireworks may not be, “discharged upon any public street, alley, road, or right-of-way,” … “under or upon a motor vehicle, whether moving or not, or within three hundred feet (300 ft.) of any gas station, gas, oil, or propane storage facility, or other area which is highly flammable in nature.” Fireworks also may not be discharged if the Fire Chief has issued a burn ban due to drought or other conditions.

The ordinance allows for the discharging of fireworks from 12:00 PM (Noon) on December 31 and between 12:00 AM (Midnight) until 1:00 AM on January 1.

Clean up when finished:

The revelers are also required to clean-up the mess. The ordinance states, “Any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, or association discharging fireworks under this ordinance shall, upon such discharge, be responsible for clean-up of the discharge site, including disposal of all discharged fireworks, all non-discharged or ‘dud’ fireworks, and the associated debris from the area in a safe manner.”

Fireworks defined:

The ordinance provides a definition of fireworks. Besides the legal and technical definition, examples of what constitutes fireworks is provided. The list includes, “sky rockets, roman candles, daygo bombs, blank cartridges, toy cannons, toy canes, or toy guns in which explosives other than toy paper caps are used, the type of balloons which require fire underneath to propel them, firecracker, torpedoes, sparklers, or other fireworks of like construction, any fireworks containing any explosive or flammable compound, or any tablet or other device containing an explosive substance.”

Enforcement and penalties:

Police, fire and code enforcement officers are given the authority to enforce this ordinance. They also have the authority to, “seize, impound, remove, or cause to be removed, at the expense of the owner, all stocks of fireworks offered for sale, sold, or in the possession of any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, or association in violation of this chapter.” Penalties start at, “a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) or more than five hundred dollars ($500) for a first time offense, a fine of not less than two hundred dollars ($200) or more than five hundred dollars ($500) for a second offense, and a fine of not less than three hundred dollars ($300) or more than five hundred dollars ($500) for a third or subsequent offense. Each day of a violation constitutes a separate offense.”

The ordinance also covers payment for damages and the cost of any services provided. “Any damages caused or injuries sustained as a result of any violation of this chapter shall be ordered paid as restitution as part of any conviction for any violation,” it states. Also, “The court may order the reimbursement of costs of enforcement, investigation, fire suppression services, and overtime related to a violation upon conviction.”

Alexander Mayor receives Commendation of Service plaque from Police Department

Alexander Mayor Paul Mitchell was presented a Commendation of Service plaque from Police Chief Robert Burnett during the City Council’s December 19 meeting. The award recognizes Mitchell’s 14 years of service to the city.

Police Chief Robert Burnett (L) and

Mayor Paul Mitchell.

The plaque states, “City of Alexander, Commendation of Service, awarded to Mayor Paul Mitchell, presented by Alexander Police Department, this 19th day of December 2022, for outstanding dedication & service to the City of Alexander for 14 years.

Mitchell served four years on the city council from November 2006 to December 31, 2010. He served nearly two years as mayor from January 1, 2011 to mid November 2012 when he resigned after losing a recall election. He was then elected again in the November 2014 election and will have served another eight years as mayor from January1, 2015 until December 31, 2022. Mitchell recently lost a run-off election to now Mayor-Elect Crystal Herrmann.